The World is Doomed
by Viperdae
Summary: Strange things happen when you're at the mercy of your enemy. The strangest thing being that they might actually show you mercy. ZADR.
1. The Beginning or the End

Burning. Aching. Broken.

Dib opened his eyes, straining to take in his surroundings. Everything was blurry. Blearily, he realized his glasses were missing.

A fire roared, too close for comfort. Dib tried to pull his thoughts together, but everything was a haze of pain and confusion.

His cheek was pressed against cold, wet marble. A blot of red filled his vision when he tried to look at it. _Ah. Blood_. He thought slowly.

He shifted as movement caught his eye.

Green. Green skin.

Now he remembered.

His hazy thoughts were pushed away and replaced with fury as the memories rushed back. Betrayal. Lies. That deceitful _insect_.

He shook with anger on the floor, still too weak to raise himself up. He fleetingly wondered how bad it was. He couldn't feel anything now and he didn't have the strength to move.

Boots squeaked against the floor as the Irken approached. The human squinted, trying to see in more detail despite the loss of his glasses. It didn't make much of a difference.

The boots stopped just short of him, then the Irken knelt beside him. Ruby eyes met amber as the crackling of fire grew louder.

Dib tried to say something, he opened his mouth and struggled to say a word but nothing would come out.

He watched as the alien reached out and placed two fingers against his throat. Checking his heartbeat.

Dib squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of vertigo overcame him. He jerked himself out of the feeling and shudderingly took in a gasp of air. He realized he was in much worse shape than he had initially thought.

He could feel his arm being grabbed roughly, the prick of sharp nails pierced through his tattered trench coat.

He opened his eyes again and it took much more effort than it should have. His eyes met the alien's again.

 _Zim_. He tried to say, but he could no longer control his body. He was going to bleed out very shortly.

Green lips moved and Dib strained to hear the words, but the crackling fire filled his head and nothing else broke past that.

His eyes closed again. His heart slowed down, down, until he felt very calm. It was time to let everything go. He was ready for the end.


	2. Past - Powerless

TEN MONTHS AGO

"D-Dib."

The name was half-whispered, half-hissed, like the speaker was still trying to maintain a modicum of composure and control when they had neither.

Dib paused, the scalpel in his hand pressing lightly into Zim's frail-looking chest. The Irken's eyes were wide, terrified. He'd never seen the alien so afraid.

A small smirk tugged at the human's features; this was it, he'd finally won. Years of surveillance, studying and fighting had finally paid off in the early hours of a crisp autumn morning. It would only take a few cuts until planet Earth would never have to worry about the little invader again.

"Please..." Zim breathed. There was moisture in the corner of the Irken's eyes, but Dib was uncertain if he was crying or if the assortment of bright lights blazing down was the cause.

Dib arched an eyebrow, not realizing the glare reflecting off his glasses obscured the gesture. Was this the first time he'd ever heard the alien say 'please'? Probably. Zim had been screaming his usual insults when he had ambushed the creature in his base. Then Zim was hurling threats all the way to Dib's house, where he fastened the alien onto the operating table. 'Release Zim now or you will be destroyed!' 'You cannot defeat Zim, you pathetic dirt-child!' And it went on and on. It was only when he revealed his carefully selected assortment of instruments for the experiment that Zim had quieted down.

He'd cut off Zim's pink shirts with a sharp pair of scissors then traced a set of lines to guide his cuts – partially to scare the Irken further, and partially because he wanted this to be _perfect_. Everything in his life had lead up to this moment. He defeated Zim and now he was going to make the scientific discovery of the century by performing a vivisection on the alien. Dib glanced at the video and tape recorders, checking for the hundredth time that they were still functioning. He wanted to document every moment of this experience.

After all the time he'd put into getting this far, all the fantasies of how it would play out, he had still never expected Zim to swallow his pride and say that word.

"I'm not letting you leave here alive, alien scum," Dib growled.

Before the alien could speak again, he pressed the scalpel deeper and made the first cut.

He heard Zim gasp and his chest began to rise and fall rapidly as the Irken panicked. Dib ignored the reaction, watching with interest as pink blood began to ooze from the opening.

He lifted the scalpel again, this time bringing it down at the line starting on the left side of Zim's collarbone. He pressed down, green skin parting easily against the fine blade.

"No!" Zim gasped, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, his antenna pressed flat against his skull. "Please! I- I won't invade your planet… just let Zim go!"

"How stupid do you think I am, Zim? Actually, don't answer that," Dib frowned, looking down at his specimen. Maybe he should have opted for a dissection instead. He hadn't expected there to be quite so much blood and it would be a lot less distracting if Zim was a corpse. But there was so much more he could learn from a living alien than a dead one.

He glanced up from the gushing cuts, meeting the Irken's eyes. He swallowed thickly, taking in Zim's petrified expression, his ruby eyes begging for mercy, his antenna quivering against his skull.

Dib tore his eyes away. Oh… he actually felt a little bad for Zim. But just a little.

"Zim is not lying!" He pleaded. "I'll leave this dirt ball alone if you just-"

"No you won't. You're just saying whatever you think will get you out of this. It's not going to work," Dib said coldly. "I know this is a mission from your Tallests and you practically worship them. You're going to do anything it takes to conquer this planet and I'm finally stopping you for good."

Dib glanced around for something to use as a gag. The talking was getting distracting. He'd only made two good cuts and they were bleeding quite profusely now. At this rate he was going to quickly lose his only chance to examine a live alien. It would be a shame to lose out on valuable xeno research because he'd wasted too much time on chit-chat.

"I'm not-," the alien took another deep breath and gritted his teeth together for a moment, "I was banished. I don't take orders from them anymore."

Dib rolled the scalpel between his fingers, looking for any sign of deception on the Irken's face. He had to admit it added up. A few months ago he'd noticed Zim had stopped his plans and had withdrawn to his base. But it didn't last, only a few weeks passed until Zim was once more sowing destruction and making bizarre plans with new enthusiasm. Dib had been curious about the temporary change, but Zim refused to acknowledge it. Being banished did seem to be a likely explanation – he'd gathered that Zim wasn't the most popular Irken.

"Even so, that doesn't change anything. I can't trust you, Zim. I need to do this. For Earth." Dib adjusted the instrument in his hand, readying himself to make another incision.

"Argh! NO!" Zim squirmed hard against the restraints, twisting them slightly, but they remained firm. "I promise! I promise by the Tallests I won't-! I'll, I'll tell you about Irkens! Anything you want to know! Ah-!" The scalpel slid through flesh again and Zim sucked in a pained breath. "I'll let you look through my pak! Please!"

Dib stopped.

Now that was tempting, he had to admit. He'd been fascinated by Zim's pak for years, but ever since a particular incident where it temporarily attached itself to the human, he hadn't dared to mess with it. With Zim's consent, he could unravel the mysteries of the device. The knowledge gained from it could potentially revolutionize humanity. And if Zim was actually willing to give him first-hand knowledge about Irkens and other aliens, that would be icing on the cake. But he couldn't trust Zim to keep his word. Could he?

The room was silent save the soft hum of electronics and Zim's erratic breaths as he struggled to stay together.

Wait a second…

Dib looked up at the cameras mounted overhead, taking in the scene in high-definition, capturing the Irken in his undisguised form. Maybe he didn't have to trust Zim in order to make a deal. He had some pretty good blackmail material now, after all.

"If I let you go," he began slowly, looking down at the Irken without compassion, "there are a few things that have to happen."

Zim nodded eagerly, not daring to say anything yet.

"First, you're going to officially surrender. Right now. Swear that you'll never try to take over the Earth again."

"I swear. Zim will not invade your planet."

Dib's eyes were fixed on Zim's, looking for any trace of a lie. The alien seemed sincere.

"You will answer my questions about Irkens, space and other aliens. You'll let me look through your pak and allow me in your base anytime."

"I will," Zim replied, though he looked and sounded less enthusiastic this time.

"And you will move the voot from your base to my garage. It's mine now."

"WHAT?" Shouted Zim, indignant. "How dare you, nnnnrrgghh-!"

Dib crossed his arms, looming over the Irken, reminding him who was in charge of the situation. The alien took a few shallow breaths, visibly trying to regain control over his temper.

"Very well, human-filth. Zim will do this," he grumbled, not meeting the other's gaze.

"Good." Dib couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement run through him at the prospect of being able to learn so much. And maybe a small part of him did feel slightly relived to postpone the vivisection. But the human knew Zim would eventually be back on his table, one way or another. The agreement wouldn't last forever.

"Ehh, Dib-human?" The Irken looked at him pointedly and tugged at the restraints binding his wrists to the table.

"In a minute," Dib replied with a mischievous smirk, opening a drawer of supplies and rooting through for a suitable tool. He turned back to Zim, relishing in the look of terror on the alien's face. After everything the little pest put him through, it was fun to scare him a bit.

"Calm down, I'm just going to fix this before you leave," he gestured to the bleeding cuts on the Irken's torso, holding up a needle in one hand and a cloth in the other.

"Zim is perfectly calm!" The alien replied shrilly, shooting Dib a death glare. He hissed again when the cloth was pressed against the wounds, gently dabbing the blood.

The next few minutes passed without any more words, just the occasional hiss of pain from Zim, as Dib saturated three cloths with Irken blood, in addition to gathering a generously large sample in a vial for later research.

Zim grit his teeth until he felt like they were going to break, as Dib threaded the needle through his skin and began the stitching process.

Dib frowned a little as be pulled the stitches tight; he really wasn't doing a good job of this. He'd never had to put a living thing back together again and his unpracticed hands were clumsy at it. He made a mental note to study medical books and get some more hands-on practice.

After several minutes of stitching and wiping and tugging, Dib internally declared his handiwork 'good enough'. The crude stitches would serve their purpose.

Finally he reached over and began to undo the many restraints that bound his specimen to the table. He paused on the last one, meeting Zim's eyes and speaking seriously to his captive audience.

"If you break the deal, you will be back on this table. I guarantee it. I have proof of what you are now, you won't be able to hide from humans if I choose to release it."

Zim scowled, but remained silent. The alien shakily pushed himself upright as he was freed and looked at the door.

"Okay," Dib unlocked the door and opened it, "You can leave now."

Zim didn't move.

"You wrecked Zim's clothes," The alien said accusingly, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"Oh. Right." Dib looked at the remains of the tunic and long-sleeved shirt he'd chopped off Zim, leaving the alien in his black leggings, boots and gloves. He'd attract too much attention if he walked home like that, shirtless and showing off badly-sewn cuts down his entire front.

"I'll be right back," Dib turned and headed up the stairs, not waiting for a response. He made his way up the second flight of stairs to his bedroom, pausing to look around the room. After a moment of pondering, he tipped over his laundry bin and pulled out an old t-shirt. It stank of old sweat and other unsavory smells. Zim would surely hate it. Perfect.

Dib returned to the basement lab and tossed the shirt at Zim. The Irken eyed it with disgust, his antenna flicking down to inspect it more closely. He nearly gagged and Dib chuckled.

Zim dressed quickly, donning the wig and contacts that the human had removed earlier and left without another word or look at the human.

Dib was left alone in his lab, with a table covered in sticky pink alien blood, overturned papers and tools littering the ground from Zim's earlier struggles. He ignored the mess and grabbed a pad of paper, questions for Zim swirling in his mind. This was going to be exciting.


	3. Present - Rebirth

PRESENT

Swirls of soft green and vivid magenta swam across his vision. He felt his heart leaping though he didn't know why. Warmth flooded his chest and spread out to his extremities. His fingers twitched at the memory of stroking soft antenna and a smile tugged at his lips.

Then the colours changed to searing red and pitch black darkness. The warmth burst into boiling heat and he was burning alive. He was alone.

He woke with a start, his eyes flying open and reflexively gasping for air to calm the fire in his lungs. He immediately regretted that.

A thick, jello-like liquid filled his mouth as soon as he opened it and slid down his throat and into his lungs. Dib instinctively started choking at it, revulsion swirling in his gut as it wriggled down his windpipe. Panic overtook his sleepy mind as he flailed, searching for something, anything to grab on to.

He couldn't breathe, could hardly see. The strange thick liquid enveloped his entire body, he could feel no other sensation, not even the pressure of the ground or any other support. He didn't know what was up or down. All his senses screamed that he needed air, that he would drown, and his heart pounded as he frantically tried to make sense of the situation. When he felt close to passing out, he gasped again and let the liquid fill his lungs.

He gasped a few more times, his body hungry for air, until he calmed. The strange substance was breathable, evidently. It just felt terribly wrong to do so.

Dib squinted, reaching out more carefully this time and felt his fingers brush against cool glass. Carefully, he leaned forward, pressing himself against the side of the glass, peering out.

He could just make out a tube, a few paces away. It extended from the ceiling to the floor, and appeared empty. He realized he was in an identical container. Dib squirmed around in the goo to look around the rest of the room. He started suddenly when he saw a figure sitting at a table near the tube.

His blurry vision took in shoulder-length purple hair and something bright and flashing in the figure's hands. The familiar sound of Vampire Piggy Hunter IX's theme playing, sounding like it was miles away through the glass and alien substance in his ears.

Gaz.

She looked up sharply when he tapped the glass.

Questions flooded his mind as he watched her pause the game and rise to her feet. Where were they? Were they safe here? Had anything happened to Gaz? And what did that lying alien bastard do to the world?

Gaz tapped a button at the base of the tube with her foot, breaking his train of thought and making him stiffen in surprise at the thick liquid rapidly drained, the glass tube lowering itself at the same pace.

He wasn't ready to stand on his own. When his feet touched the ground, his knees buckled and he sank down, spitting the last of the liquid from his mouth then taking grateful gasps on regular air. He ran his hands through his hair to get the last of the substance off of him. Strangely, it left him completely dry after sliding off his body. Definitely not a human substance.

He quickly examined himself, hazily recalling vague memories of the condition he was in before losing consciousness. He felt like he'd been consumed by flames, his body fueling a conflagration. But his skin was unblistered, his hair unsinged. His normal clothes were gone, replaced with some sort of hospital gown which let an unwelcome breeze assault his backside. He had some stitches, the scars between them showing he'd had some impressive injuries. The stitches were neat and uniform, it made him remember the shoddy job he'd done of patching up Zim. Despite his anger, he felt a twinge of embarrassment at that failure.

He pushed the thought away and looked at his sister.

"Gaz! Are you okay? What happened?" He scanned her over, looking for any sign of injury or distress. She looked at him with her eyes narrowed, leaning to the side. Her usual outfit was replaced by a baggy plum dress and leather jacket with combat boots. Her hair was immaculate and her skin showed no flaws.

"I'm fine, Dib," she replied in a bored tone with a roll of her eyes, sitting down again and unpausing her game. "Zim's the ruler of Earth now, that's what happened."

"Shit," he shakily rose to his feet and examined the room. "Where are we? Are we prisoners?"

Gaz looked at him out of the corner of her eye, her fingers never faltering on her Game Slave. "I'm not a prisoner. You might be. I never bothered to ask." She shrugged.

"How can you not know if I'm-? Nevermind. What's going on? This place is clearly Zim's, it's filled with Irken technology. Why are you here?"

"Tch. Your voice is annoying," Gaz grumbled.

"Gaz! This is serious, we have to stop him!"

"No we don't. Zim's not destroying the Earth or anything, just ruling it. Leave things alone for once."

"'Just ruling it'? How can you say that?" Dib's voice rose in frustration. He took a seat across from his sister at the small table. "He's evil! Why didn't you try to stop him?"

"Eh. He's not that bad," she shrugged.

He stared at his sister wordlessly for a moment until a sick thought entered his mind. He felt his heart start to race and his hands shake.

"Don't tell me you fell for his act?" He felt like he was going to be ill. "Don't tell me you and Zim are… are…"

Gaz paused the game finally, looking up to glare at him. "You're an idiot, Dib. There's only one xenophile in this room and it's not me."

"Then what's going on?" He was relieved to hear nothing was going on between Zim and Gaz, but he was still shaking with anger. His mind still felt foggy and confused and he felt a headache coming on, either from the emotions or the need to squint without his glasses. "How can you be so calm? Don't you care that he nearly killed me?"

Evidently that was the wrong thing to say.

She met his eyes, instantly furious. The look she gave him would have made his knees buckle had he still been standing. Dib felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees and the lights darken. The sounds of her game and the hum of machinery suddenly seemed distant.

"Maybe you wouldn't have nearly died if you'd just left things be!" She hissed. "You keep putting yourself into danger! All the time! You don't give a shit about how your actions affect other people, you never have! Stop being such a freak and just act like a normal person for a change!"

Gaz rose to her feet, sending her chair crashing to the ground. She had one hand in her pocket and then suddenly Dib felt her smack him in the face.

She stalked out of the room, shooting him one last glare.

Dib blinked a few times, trying to make sense of the situation. Slowly, he realized he was wearing his glasses again, that was the smack Gaz had given him.

And he'd been able to catch a good look at her face before she left.

He saw moisture at the corner of her eyes.

He sat there for a few minutes, unmoving. His anger had dissipated and he felt tired. So tired.

There was movement out of the corner of his eye, and he turned, expecting to see his sister again. Instead, he caught a glimpse of someone lurking just outside the hallway door. Someone with green skin.


	4. Past - Aftertaste

TEN MONTHS AGO

 _This is awkward_ , Dib thought to himself.

The two were walking through corridors deep in Zim's base. An uncomfortable silence had fallen over them, neither having the words to break it.

Dib had shown up at the base an hour earlier, eager to start asking the alien questions in accordance to their agreement. But it was weird. The dynamic between them had shifted so abruptly and Dib found himself unsure how to act.

Zim, so normally loud and energetic, was now oddly withdrawn. _He looks tired_ , was Dib's first thought when the Irken opened the door. He wasn't even sure if Irkens needed to sleep, but there were dark circles under the alien's eyes and he moved with weariness in his steps – a sharp contract from his typical lively marching.

The paranormal investigator had launched into his prepared questions, but Zim had given short, lackluster answers, or else he didn't understand the question. Reigning in his frustration, Dib opted to have Zim give him a tour of the base rather than start what would surely turn into a big fight, which brought them to this point.

They passed another room and the human peered in curiously, seeing an assortment of creatures – some native to Earth, some that looks alien and monstrous, contained in individual glass tubes. He made a mental note to ask more about that later, and continued following Zim down the hallway.

"Do Irkens need to sleep?" He asked finally, unable to hold his curiosity back any longer.

The alien kept walking, although his antenna twitched and Dib knew he heard the question.

"Zim," he growled warningly. Was the alien going to break their agreement already? It hadn't even been a week yet.

Zim stopped and turned to face Dib, shooting him a glare before looking away again.

"No."

Dib waited for more, then gave an exasperated sigh when he realized that was it.

"Then why do you look so tired?"

The alien's antenna briefly flattened in annoyance before returning to their normal position. There was a short pause as the human watched the alien try to come up with a suitable lie.

"Zim does not look tired!" He finally screeched, making Dib wince at his volume.

"Yes, you do! And you promised not to lie to me anymore! You said you'd answer my questions!"

"I did not agree to listen to you insult my amazing appearance!" Zim shrieked.

"I just asked a question!" Well, this was turning out to be a complete failure.

"I don't know why I thought I could trust you," Dib sighed. He should have just cut open the alien when he had a chance, not that he couldn't capture Zim again. He still had his pak-disrupting device on him...

"We have to recharge when low on energy. Not through sleep."

Huh. So Zim was going to co-operate after all. Maybe this wasn't all a waste, even if getting an answer from the stubborn creature was like pulling teeth.

"How do you recharge?"

"Irkens can use a variety of power sources," Zim continued tersely, obviously not pleased with the human and his questioning, "Solar energy, electricity, snacks, any form of energy can be used to power our paks."

"So why..."

"Zim has had a lot on his mind lately," Zim turned and kept walking, not meeting the human's eyes. "It's not important."

Well, this was kind of pathetic. The once proud, arrogant, loud Irken Invader now sulking around his base, not taking care of himself and giving in to Dib's demands without much of a fight. _I wonder how much grief I could have saved myself by doing this years ago_ , he pondered.

Briefly Dib wondered if he should say something, try to console Zim a little. He quickly buried the thought. This was Zim! The alien who'd spent the last six years trying to take over the Earth, making multiple attempts to kill him and forcing him to spend all his free time monitoring and defending against him. How long had it been since he'd done some non-alien paranormal investigating?

Still… it wouldn't do him any good if his once in a lifetime chance of researching an alien was cut short by said alien dying of exhaustion.

"You said you get energy from food, right? Show me your alien food supplies," he ordered.

Zim grumbled under his breath but changed his course, leading them to an elevator where they squished in awkwardly together and descended deeper into the base.

They got off in front of a large door, reinforced around all sides with more dark pink Irken metal. It was the most secure room Dib had seen yet. Evidently, Irkens were pretty serious about their food.

The door lock beeped cheerfully after Zim entered the code and the door automatically swung open, revealing a large storeroom lined with shelves full of brightly packaged foodstuffs.

"Woah," Dib breathed, eyes wide as he took in the different alien letterings on the containers. He knew enough Irken to tell that many of these weren't Irken-made. He took a moment to marvel at the fact that he was surrounded by items that had been created by all sorts of different aliens on different planets galaxies away.

Zim was watching him, an annoyed expression on his light green features.

"Why do you want to see Zim's snacks?" He questioned. He hadn't eaten anything for a while, but it set him on edge to have another in his snack room. Even Gir wasn't allowed inside.

"Oh, right," Dib picked an item at random, it was a bag with shiny green packaging that crinkled loudly when he touched it. He tossed it at Zim. "Eat up."

The Irken caught it deftly. He looked ready to spit an insult at the human, but thought better of it. He pointedly turned his back and took a seat on the floor, pulling open the bag.

Satisfied, Dib turned to the shelves again, taking his time now to pick something for himself. He briefly wondered if he should ask Zim for permission, but quickly stifled that thought. He was in charge now.

He picked a small black bag with magenta Irken lettering and opened it carefully, making sure not to tear the packaging across the text. Inside were glossy dark red objects in various shapes that had a strong sweet aroma. He popped one into his mouth.

"Ugh!" He spat it onto the floor and wiped his tongue against his sleeve. The little piece of food was disgustingly sweet, sending a sharp sugar ache into his teeth. He heard a small cackle behind him and turned to glare at Zim.

"Foolish human!" Zim hissed under his breath.

Dib closed his eyes for a moment, starting a countdown from ten. He promised himself he wouldn't let his anger get the better of him. No matter how irritating Zim was, he'd approach this scientifically and extract as much information as possible before the deal ended.

At _one_ , he exhaled and opened his eyes again. Zim was watching him, an eye quirked in confusion and his antenna wriggling in the air.

"Is there any food here a human could eat?" He asked calmly. He wasn't particularly hungry, but who could resist the opportunity to try alien food?

Zim sighed, tilting his head to look at the shelves around him. After a moment he looked down at the bag in his hands and frowned at it. Then he was on his feet, snatching the black bag out of the human's hands and replacing it with the one he'd been eating from.

The Irken returned to his seat on the floor, back to Dib, resuming his meal.

The bag in Dib's hands was half-filled with light blue misshapen spheres that looked to have a chip-like texture. He placed one in his mouth, bracing himself for a rush of sugar.

…

It wasn't bad, actually. Salty and light with a sweet aftertaste that dissolved on his tongue. He took a seat on the floor, watching the other as he ate the rest of the bag.

It was slightly mesmerizing to watch Zim's antenna wiggle with little movements as he ate. He could see the texture of the alien's feelers; they looked velvety. It was so rare to have a chance to watch the Irken calm and undisguised.

He watched for several minutes before he realized something odd. Dib rose to his feet, careful not to make a sound. He slipped in front of Zim, catching the alien in the act.

Zim was holding the bag close to his chest, his tongue extending down to reach the candies. He looked up in surprise at the human, retracting his worm-like tongue back into his mouth, the end of it wrapped around a red candy.

"I didn't know you could do that," Dib knelt down, intrigued by the new discovery. "So all Irkens have prehensile tongues?"

Zim took his time before replying, making a show of swirling the candy around in his closed mouth to make the human wait.

"Yes." He finally muttered. Then his tongue dipped out again for another piece.

Dib grabbed it, earning a squeak of surprise from the other. He tugged on Zim's tongue until it wouldn't go any further.

"Amazing," he breathed. "It's almost as long as my forearm."

The Irken jerked his head to the side, yanking the appendage free. He snapped his teeth at Dib, showing off the sharp edges, his eyes narrowed to furious slits.

"How dare you touch Zim with your filthy disgusting-"

A distant screech jolted them, causing Dib to flinch and Zim's antenna to stand up straight.

A moment passed and then they heard the distant sound of crashing machinery and a shriek of "waaaaaffles!"

"GIR!" Zim jumped to his feet, marching toward the source of the noise. He glanced back at Dib and hissed, "Stay here and don't touch anything!"

Dib shrugged and tried to look innocent, smirking internally as Zim raced off.

When the alien was out of sight, the human wasted no time reaching into his long coat and pulling out a handful of his newest super-small spy cameras. Dib was never one to waste such an opportunity.

Cameras in the hallway, cameras in rooms of machinery, cameras in storage rooms and everywhere else he could reach. He kept his ears alert for footsteps as he balanced precariously on a thin piece of tubing that jutted from the wall, placing another camera up high with a good vantage point.

"He never comes in here anymore, you know."

Dib nearly lost his balance and quickly clutched at the wall, searching for the source of the disembodied voice.

He heard a chuckle as he hopped to the floor and realized who it was.

"You're Zim's computer, right?" He looked around, wondering how it could see him. "You're, uh, not going to tell him about this, are you?"

"Hmmmm," the machine murmured. If Dib didn't know better he'd swear the machine was enjoying making him sweat.

"I wonder what my pak-disrupter would do if I attached it to your systems," mused Dib, narrowing his eyes and rifling through his coat pockets for the device.

"I was only kidding, don't take things so seriously," droned the computer. "Zim's almost back now, by the way."

Dib was running out of the room and down the hall before the sentence was over, arriving back at his initial spot just in time to see the elevator door open and Zim stepping out. The alien made a face, noting the human's hard breathing, but said nothing. They continued the tour of the base in silence.


	5. Present - Guilt

PRESENT

Dib rose to his feet. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, pushing away the aches and exhaustion.

"Zim," he growled lowly. "So you're not just a lying bastard, you're an eavesdropper too."

The alien hesitated, standing in the edge of the doorway, then entered the room to face Dib. He even looked a little guilty, but Dib wasn't going to fall for that. He wasn't going to let his feelings interfere with defending the Earth. At least… not for a second time.

Zim broke his gaze from the human and casually walked over to the tube Dib had been contained in. His expression was unreadable. He tapped a few buttons on the tube's display panel and it filled with text. He reviewed it for a minute while Dib glared at his back.

"How are your wounds, Dib-thing?" He asked politely, like he hadn't noticed the human's mood.

"You can drop the act, alien scum." Dib spat.

Zim's antenna quickly raised and lowered, a movement Dib had come to understand as surprise. He turned away from the screen and met the human's eyes.

"I'm not-!"

"Stop it, Zim! You tried to kill me!"

"No!" Zim's eyes were wide, pleading. "You weren't supposed to be there!"

"Is that supposed to make a difference?" He was shouting now. "What did you think I would do when I found out you were going to blow up a building? I had to warn them!"

"It was empty! No one should have died!" Zim hissed in response. "If you just trusted me-!"

"Trusted you?" Dib was livid. He grit his teeth together and lurched forward, roughly grabbing the Irken by his shirt and lifting him into the air. "You fooled me once, Zim, but I won't make the same mistake twice. I will dissect you, space monster."

He slammed the Irken onto the table, the sound of the Irken's pak bashing into the table rang through the air.

Dib heard a faint shuffling of feet, but he barely had time to register the noise before Zim lifted a leg and aimed a swift kick at his ribs. Stars exploded behind his eyes as pain burst through him. That area had felt a bit raw beforehand, now it was agony.

He inhaled painfully. _When did I end up on the floor…?_ He wondered, dazed. Then he was roughly grabbed under his arms and hauled to his feet. He clumsily found his footing and looked over his shoulder to see several armed individuals in matching uniforms, their faces covered by helmets. The closest one pulled Dib's arms behind his back. He struggled, but he was no match for the other.

"At ease, soldiers," Zim commanded, pushing himself upright and off the table. "Everything is under control."

The one holding Dib nodded.

"We'll be in the hall then." He released Dib with a small shove before marching out of the room with the others. The human scowled at them. Why were these humans _helping_ Zim? Or were they even human? Dib watched their stiff march and made a mental note to figure out if they were man or machine.

Zim eyed him warily, hands on his hips as he waited for the human's next move.

"So, what, I'm supposed to be your prisoner?" His voice dripped with loathing. "Because if you think I'm going to let that happen, you're even dumber than I thought."

"No…" The alien sighed, his shoulders slumping. "You're free to do what you want, Dib-thing. But I will stop you if you try to overthrow Zim's glorious empire."

"And Gaz? I won't forgive you for bringing her into this."

Zim scowled, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Zim didn't bring your sibling-unit into anything! She just showed up after I dragged your useless dead meat-sack to my lab and threatened to 'make the rest of Zim's life into a nightmarish horror from which I would never be able to escape from' unless I fixed you, which I would have done anyway. She's been spending most of her time down here, waiting for you to wake up."

"Oh…" So she really did care. And maybe her anger made a bit more sense now.

"There's a room prepared for you in the East wing, you need to head down the corridor and take the elevator up to-"

"I'm not staying here. I'm leaving, and you can't stop me." Dib stared Zim down, daring the Irken to challenge him.

"I could if I wanted to," Zim hissed back. "Fine! Go away, human! Zim doesn't care!"

Dib felt his anger boiling up again. This was it, it was like the last year had never happened. They were enemies and it would stay that way. That's how it needed to be.

 _I won't fail again_ , Dib vowed, marching out of the room. He glanced back one more time before leaving, and faltered. Zim's eyes were downcast, his antenna limp and one clawed hand resting against his thin chest. Against the spot where Dib had made the cut nearly a year ago, marring the Irken's skin. A surge of guilt flooded him and he swallowed a painful lump in his throat as he left.


	6. Past - Questions

NINE MONTHS AGO

"Avoiding me, Space Boy?" He teased, plunking himself on the bench next to Zim.

The day was a little chilly, Zim was wearing an oversized hoodie over his usual apparel. Dib was comfortable enough in his trench-coat.

After they made the agreement, Dib had taken to seeking Zim out during lunch period to probe him to answer more questions. Zim had taken to avoiding him. But Dib was persistent – he considered it a trait to be proud of – and hunted down the Irken wherever he hid.

Today, Zim had taken a spot on a bench in a park near the school. He'd drawn his legs up to his chest and hunched his head down, looking like a dark bundle resting on the bench in his black sweater. It had taken longer to find him today, but they still had half an hour before the next class.

Zim didn't answer, but Dib could see the way his eyes narrowed that he'd heard the question. The Irken had gained some of his nerve back over the past few weeks. He still hadn't broken the deal yet, but he'd gone back to his usual insults and snarky attitude around Dib.

"Mrs. Urso caught up with me after my last class. She wanted me to remind you we've both got detention after school."

The Irken made a small noise of disgust. "I should replace her brain with a squid's. That might make the teaching drone's classes more worthwhile." He glanced at Dib, raising an eye ridge.

"Don't even think about it," Dib replied. "Even if it probably would make her classes more interesting," he grinned. "Now…" He pulled a notepad out of his backpack, "my first question for today is…"

The lunch hour passed by rather quickly, then the two headed off to their afternoon classes. After the bell rang to signal the end of the day, they each made their way to Mrs. Urso's classroom, the Home Economics room.

"Oh good, you're here," the woman smiled at the two students as they entered. "You won't be sitting around for detention, I have a task for you boys. Both of you are doing very poorly in class, so you really need this practice. You're to bake four dozen cookies before you can go. I'll be donating them to the homeless shelter, so make sure they're edible."

Zim stuck his tongue out in disgust, but didn't argue.

"Could I just do some cleaning instead?" Dib asked. Brilliant as he was, his attempts at the culinary arts always ended in disaster. Gaz had banned him from using the oven at home after he'd manage to set their leftovers on fire.

"No. This is important to learn. It's life skills, Dib," the teacher replied.

He sighed and made his way over to the large table in the middle of the room, where the teacher had left a cookbook open to the recipe page. Zim followed listlessly.

Dib was just setting the oven temperature when the door opened.

The Vice Principal stepped inside, casting a quick glance around the room before focusing on the teacher. "Susanne, we need you for a quick meeting, it's urgent I'm afraid. In the Staff room." Then he was gone, not even waiting for a reply.

She sat there for a moment looking surprised, then sighed. "I'll be back in a little bit. Be careful and don't cause any trouble." She picked up her purse and left.

Zim and Dib stood still for a moment, watching the door. Then Zim shrugged. "I'm leaving."

"What? No! Come on, Zim, we both have to do this."

"Superiors must stay to inflict punishment. Leaving your subordinates to punish themselves is foolish," Zim declared matter-of-factly.

"This is high school, not the military," Dib sighed. "Come on, we just have to make some cookies."

The Irken frowned at him. "Zim does not make disgusting human food. It's horrible and it burns through my gloves. Just the smell of last week's roast filth made me retch."

Dib crossed his arms. "I'm not a good cook either, but I'm not doing this myself," he stated.

"I never said I wasn't a good cook," Zim retorted.

"Right," the human replied, sarcasm in his voice. "I'm sure you're as good of a cook as you are an Invader."

Zim grit his teeth together, the look in his eyes murderous. Dib's gaze didn't waver.

"I was an Irken elite. Your puny human mind could never comprehend my accomplishments."

"And yet you can't bake some cookies?"

The alien clenched his fists. Normally, conversations like this between them would've ended several minutes ago – with one of them throwing a punch and starting a fight. But now… after being caught and making the deal, Zim no longer reacted with violence.

"I refuse to touch any of this garbage," he growled.

Dib rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine! If you're such a great cook, then just tell me what to do. It's probably still going to end in disaster, but at least it won't entirely be my fault."

Zim grit his teeth together, eyeing the door then glancing back at the human. "Very well. Zim will instruct you." He snatched the recipe book and hopped up onto the table, keeping a fair distance away from the raw ingredients.

"Measure six cups of flour," he ordered.

Dib reached for the measuring cups.

"No, not like that!" Zim hissed.

"You said six cups!" Dib could feel a headache coming on already.

"You should know not to use such an inferior method of measurement!" Zim retorted.

"Argh, fine. What should I use then?"

"The scale. Obviously."

Dib rolled his eyes and grabbed the scale and a booklet of conversions. Zim instructed him through the rest of the recipe, occasionally making a snarky comment or telling Dib he was doing something incorrectly.

He was scooping the dough onto a sheet – after Zim had admonished him for too large scoops, then for crowding the tray. Zim was watching out of narrowed eyes, not able to find anything to criticize at the moment.

"So," Dib tossed the tray in the oven and turn to look at the Irken. "What kind of punishments do Irkens receive during training?" Zim's earlier comment about enforcing punishments had made him curious. Surely Zim got into lots of trouble, but he couldn't imagine the Irken writing lines on a chalkboard or sitting quietly in a detention hall.

Zim frowned, displeased that the topic had turned back to annoying probing questions again. "Eh… there were many different punishments. Instructors liked to out-do each other with crueler and harsher punitive measures."

"What was the worst you experienced?"

Zim paused, breaking eye contact and shifting his position on the table. A few seconds passed, enough that Dib was starting to wonder if the Irken would refuse to answer.

"It was nothing I could not handle," Zim's voice was light, but Dib noticed his muscles had tensed. "My flight instructor left me on a planet without a ship. A dry, deserted, wasteland planet. Far from Irk."

The alien took a deep breath, his eyes unfocused as old memories ran through his vision. "I was to find my way back. And… I did."

Zim realized he'd been clenching his hands into fists. He relaxed his grip, feeling a slight sting where his claws had broken the skin on his palm. He forced the corners of his mouth to rise into a smirk. "It might have been a challenge for anyone else, but ZIM is no ordinary Irken."

"How did you do it?" Dib leaned against the table, watching the Irken intently.

"Eh," Zim flapped his hands as though his gesticulations would provide the answer for him.

"Well?"

"Well… I was able to lure a ship into landing on the planet by causing some seismic activity that changed the rotation and pushed it on course to an inhabited planet. Then it was a simple matter of commandeering the ship that came to investigate and flying back to Irk. Easy."

"Huh," Dib had to admit he was a little impressed, though it felt like Zim was omitting something. "How long did that take?"

"I was back in four rotations of Irk," Zim bragged. "Zim is truly incredible. While you, human-filth, can't even remember to set an oven timer!"

"Shit!" Dib rushed over to the oven to check on the progress. Thankfully, it looked like they another couple minutes to go.

Questions forgotten, Dib went back to filling the next tray with dough.

Over half an hour had passed, and the teacher still hadn't returned, but progress was going well. Dib was waiting to put one last tray into the oven and he had a stack of cookies cooling on racks.

He had to admit, they looked good. The aroma of chocolate chip cookies was thick in the air and Dib decided it would be best to taste one. Just to make sure they were edible.

Zim made a disgusted face as the human took a bite.

"They're actually pretty good," Dib said through a mouthful of cookie. "I bet even you'd like them, space monster."

"All human food is filthy and disgusting," Zim replied.

"Come on," Dib grabbed another cookie and held it out to the Irken. "You saw me make it, there's nothing bad in it. Try it."

"I will not," Zim glared.

"Remember the deal?" Dib's voice was stern, daring the Irken to disobey.

Zim eyed him with loathing before swiping the treat from his hand. He brought it close to his face, inspecting it, then took a tiny bite.

Dib waited, taking a step back in case Zim vomited.

The Irken chewed for a moment and swallowed. He paused.

Then took another bite.

"It's… passable," he mumbled.

Dib smirked.

He loaded the dirty trays and bowls into the dishwater and started it, then began wiping off the counter.

"Why are you so knowledgeable about baking? I wouldn't have thought you'd be the type," Dib asked casually.

"I've told you, Zim is amazing," came the reply, though it was said flatly, without the usual gusto.

"Uh huh, and…?"

"I spent a few years as a fry-cook on Foodcourtia," Zim reluctantly grumbled.

His task completed, Dib leaned back against the table beside the Irken and sighed in relief.

"By the way, how long is a day on Irk?" He asked.

Two things happened in quick succession. Zim's body went rigid and the door loudly creaked open.

"Oh good, you're both still here!" The teacher smiled at the two boys. "Sorry about that, the meeting ran longer than I thought. The cookies look and smell wonderful! You two can head home now."

In a flash, Zim was gone.

Dib's question wouldn't get answered until over a year later.


	7. Present - Vertigo

PRESENT

He was leaving. There was no way he was going to live alongside that traitorous alien scum.

Dib marched through the long hallways until he found the front doors of the building. He stood there for a moment, looking outside. The doors opened to a wide stairway of patterned stone that led down to the street. The buildings that lined the road were barely standing, most of them missing a few upper stories. The street was filled with rubble.

"I wouldn't recommend going out there."

He jumped slightly at the voice, turning around and guarding himself for an attack.

One of Zim's minions was leaning casually against the wall behind him, mask rendering their expression unreadable. They were short, though not as short as Zim, and had a stocky build and feminine voice.

"Are you here to stop me?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at the… person? Robot?

"I'm just giving some friendly advice," replied the other lightly. "The area around here isn't too nice, I really don't think you'd want to go out there alone."

"I'll decide for myself what I want to do, thanks." He waited a moment to see if they would try anything, but the figure just shrugged and didn't adjust their casual pose.

He had to admit, he was relieved he wasn't going to be forcibly stopped. He still felt weak and disoriented, he wasn't sure how well he'd handle himself in a fight.

Dib turned and left, marching down the stone steps. Broken structures lay in every direction, only the building he left behind was still standing proudly. He started off down the street, picking the direction randomly. He'd find a place to hunker down, get some technology, hack into Zim's systems and stop the alien.

He would…

His steps faltered. The world spun. His mind swam. He vaguely realized the ground was approaching at a too-rapid pace.

"Woah!" A voice rang out and arms tightened around his chest. "Jeez! What did I tell you?"

Dib staggered back to his feet, the guard holding him upright.

"I…" He grasped for a response.

"Can you walk a little? Or do I need to call for medical?" They asked.

"I can walk," he answered.

Half-supported, the guard led him back into the building and gently lowered him down to the ground.

"I told you," they chided him gently. "Your muscles must be jelly after being in that tube thing for so long."

Dib frowned, raising a suspicious eyebrow at the other. "What are you?"

There was a long pause and he wondered if he'd upset the other. Then they broke into laughter.

"I'm Lisa." Lisa pulled off her helmet to reveal her face. She was a human, olive-skinned and dark hair tied back neatly. Her eyes were kind, but Dib didn't trust her. She was working for Zim, after all.

"Why are you here?" He asked bluntly.

Lisa's smile dropped for a moment as confusion painted itself on her face. "I'm here to protect and serve Zim, leader of planet Earth, of course!"

"And _why_ are you doing that? He's an alien!"

She crouched down to sit beside Dib. "Well, I wasn't too keen on him at first. Change is hard, you know? But then he started making changes, and I actually liked them. And then it didn't matter what he was. So I came here, because I felt like he'd make a better future for us than our other leaders could."

Dib sighed. "I guess you wouldn't believe me if I told you he's a monster who only cares about himself. He came here to conquer the planet for his leaders. He's not 'making a better future', he's destroying us."

Lisa tilted her head to the side, looking at him curiously. "Then why did he save you?"

He felt his stomach clench painfully. Zim had brought him back to laugh at him, to rub his victory into Dib's face. Hadn't he? Then a surge of anger rushed through him, anger that for a brief moment, he'd actually considered that the alien cared about him.

"Um…" Lisa broke the awkward silence. "Why don't I show you to your room? You're in no condition to go out. At least get a night's sleep first."

Dib nodded and reluctantly got his feet. He followed the woman through the corridors, until they arrived at a simple door deep inside the building.

"Here's your room. You should take it easy for a bit, get some sleep."

He opened the door and stepped inside.

"What…?"

The walls were painted deep blue and the ceiling lights were dimmed low, leaving the room mostly dark. Tiny pinpricks of light glowed in the dimness, spreading across the ceiling to the upper sections of the walls, mapping the universe. The rest of the walls were a collection of poster's from Dib's old room; Mysterious Mysteries posters, paranormal creatures and photos. Unlike his room at home, which was haphazardly covered with photos of mostly Zim, this was carefully organized and he couldn't see even one picture of the green-skinned menace.

"Pretty nice, huh?" Lisa grinned, standing in his doorframe. "I helped a bit with the painting, I've got a really steady hand when it comes to the edges."

"…"

"Um, anyway, I'll let you get some sleep. Goodnight!" The guard started to close the door, then stopped. "It was nice to meet you Dib!" She called through the gap before finally shutting it.

Every item in the room had been placed with care. His laptop sat on a tidy desk and shelves above held his favourite books. Gaz wouldn't have done this. It was too weird to think of Zim fussing over the details of his room. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He was tired, he didn't want to think about that at the moment.

Dib staggered over to the bed, and despite everything he couldn't help but admire it. The bed definitely had not come from his bedroom at home. It was a king-sized four poster with a featherbed on the mattress. He sank into the cobalt cloud and tugged the airy comforter over him.

Dib allowed himself a small smile. Enveloped by soft cool sheets that were warming to a pleasant embrace, he let his worries drop away, just for a moment.

It did not take long for sleep to take him.

It felt like he'd only shut his eyes moments ago when he was jerked out of sleep by someone loudly rapping at his door.

"Who's there?" He called out cautiously, pushing himself up into a seated position.

"Who else would it be?" Came a grumpy reply as Gaz pushed the door open and strode inside. Immediately she went to the window and yanked the blinds open, causing Dib to throw an arm in front of his face to shield himself.

Gaz looked unimpressed. "I was beginning to think you'd died again in here," she said dryly.

He rubbed his eyes, "Gaz? What's going on? Are you okay?"

She ignored his questions, gazing out the window for a few moments. "I came by to tell you I'll be gone for the day. Zim and I have to go quash some resistance fighters. We'll probably be back by dinner."

"What?" Dib lowered his arm, squinting in the sunlight. "There's a resistance? And you're doing _what_ to them?"

"We're quashing them," Gaz repeated flatly. "They're kind of a pain."

"Why are you helping _him_ instead of joining _them_?"

She met his eyes, but her expression was as calm and unemotional as ever. "I told you, they're annoying. I'd rather start my own resistance than join those idiots."

"Then let's go and do that," Dib replied, shakily slipping out of bed and steadying himself against the frame.

"Nah, I like it better here," was her bored response.

"Gaz-"

"I just came here to tell you I'll be out today so you wouldn't freak out," she interrupted, stepping away from the window and heading towards the door. She glanced back at him on her way out, "Try not to overexert yourself," she added.

Dib moved to follow her, but the action sent his head spinning again. He sank back into the exquisitely cushioned bed and waited for his vision to clear.

"Damn it, Zim," he growled to himself. He'd never felt so weak, so helpless. Here he was, in the enemy's stronghold, defeated and defenseless. And Zim hadn't given him a cage or cuffs. Zim was mocking him, probably delighting in the human's impotence. He was even putting Gaz in danger.

He pushed himself upright again, then to his feet. He took a moment to steady himself before heading to the door.

Zim was foolish to underestimate him. He may not have advanced alien technology, superior healing or an army of goons to enact his commands, but he would stop the Irken. He would prevail.

Dib opened the door, anger fueling him, ready to take action. He knew his next step. He'd slip back into the basement labs, lay in wait… and when the alien returned, he'd catch him by surprise and kill him.

He paused.

He looked down – he was still wearing the hospital gown he'd woken up in yesterday. He turned back to his room, eyeing the dresser against the far wall.

Perhaps saving humanity could be delayed a few minutes.


	8. Past - Creature

NINE MONTHS AGO

He blocked a fist and aimed to punch Zim in the gut but the Irken twisted and leapt out of the way. The alien shot a smug grin at him before darting down the hall.

He took off behind him, quick on the other's heels. His heart was pounding and a grin tugged at his lips as he raced through the hallways deep inside Zim's base.

Zim was quick, he darted down the hallways with speed and grace. If Dib didn't have his long legs he'd never be able to catch up.

But as is…

He reached out and his fist closed around the hood of Zim's sweater, sending the Irken's gait to a dead stop and throwing him back against the human.

"Oof!"

Dib had just managed to steady his balance as Zim suddenly ducked and shucked the sweater like an extra skin.

Zim's laughter rang out, echoing through the metal hallways as he ran.

Dib set off again, sprinting to keep up.

He turned a sharp corner and had the breath knocked out of him at Zim collided with him, sending the both of them crashing to the floor. He snatched Zim's hands before they could do anything else and they struggled for a minute, Dib flat on his back and Zim sitting on his chest.

This was exactly what he needed.

Things had been so strange, so different, and for the most part it was a welcome change. It was nice to no longer have to risk his life multiple times a week to stop one of the Irken's schemes. But it was also kind of boring.

He'd gotten so used to the adrenaline rush, to the thrill of the challenge and the ache of bruises. It _was_ exciting to learn from Zim, but it wasn't as fun as fighting him.

He figured Zim felt the same way. The Irken had readily agreed when Dib suggested they have a 'friendly' fight. And now, as they struggled on the floor, Zim's eyes gleamed with excitement the human hadn't seen for some time.

Pulling a knee back, he pushed the Irken off his chest and rolled over to pin the alien down.

Zim opened his mouth, showing off his wickedly sharp teeth and snapping his head to bite a hand holding him down.

"Hey!" Dib pulled his hand back in a flash, "No biting allowed either!" But Zim had used the temporary distraction to escape the human's grasp and sprinted down the hallway.

"That's cheating!" He puffed, pushing himself to his feet.

The Irken barked a laugh, clearly amused.

Dib raced after him. He was getting tied. He needed to end this soon.

He added another burst of speed, his lungs protesting, then dived forward to crash into the alien.

Zim shrieked as the human's weight smashed into him, throwing the alien to the ground. He struggled for a moment, then abruptly froze.

"Zim?" Had he hurt him? Then he followed the alien's gaze.

An open door to the side led into a large room. It was filled with cages. Broken glass glittered on the floor.

"Oh shit."

The fight forgotten, they detangled themselves and rose to their feet.

Dib slowly walked into the room, looking around. This room held various cages containing various creatures. Some were fairly regular earthly creatures, others were monstrous and alien.

Zim had a look of horror on his face as he examined the empty cage.

"What was in there?"

"It's… I don't know what it was!" Zim exclaimed. "But it was a horrible, terrifying creature."

"Is it dangerous?"

Magenta eyes darted around nervously. "I haven't been able to study it in much detail yet, but it's quick and has horribly sharp claws. It's extremely hostile."

"Great." Dib sighed. "I guess we should catch it before it escapes."

"Computer! Where is the creature currently?"

"I don't see it," replied the system. "It must be in dead zone."

"Dead zone?" Dib questioned.

Zim narrowed his eyes. "It seems someone put cameras in _my_ base. I created a device to disable them, but it interfered with Computer in those areas."

"Oh." Now he felt just a touch guilty. He probably could have demanded Zim leave up the cameras, since the Irken did have to obey him. But he'd wanted to spy…

"Here." Zim pressed a small laser gun into the human's hands. "You may need this to defend yourself. I'll go left."

"Wait, why do you get such a larger gun?"

The Irken ignored him and slipped into the hallway, out of sight.

"Ugh. Space-jerk." Dib grumbled as peered out into the hall.

He headed down the hall, his steps soft, his breathing focused, his eyes struggling to focus.

These hallways were only faintly illuminated. Zim had explained to him that Irkens see fairly well in low-light conditions, so the dim horizontal lights that skimmed the top of the ceiling saved power and didn't bother the alien. For Dib however, it made the current situation all the more challenging.

He blinked, urging his eyes to focus on the physical shapes in the darkness.

He turned each corner slowly, his aim steady on the weapon as he surveyed the darkness.

Occasionally, he'd hear the soft rumble of tubes pushing fluids just beyond the walls or the whine of a distant machine complaining.

He stopped.

What was that?

He squinted, his heart starting to pound.

Suddenly, Zim's shriek rang through the halls. He sounded terrified.

"Zim!" He called out into the darkness.

No reply.

He took a deep breath, trying to get his bearings in the maze-like corridors.

"Computer?" He half-whispered to the ceiling. It was silent.

He carefully slipped through the hallways, placing his feet softly as to make no sound. His heart pounded, but his mind was clear.

Then he heard it.

Something different from machines or tubes. Something irregular.

A gentle tapping echoed through the hall. It was coming closer.

It paused.

Dib was frozen. His gun aimed on the darkness. He didn't dare to make a sound – he had the sense this creature could see better in the darkness than he could, so he would have to be very cautious.

A tense minute passed. Then the tapping started again. The creature was heading in his direction.

Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap tap.

Glowing eyes appeared in the darkness and Dib cringed as the creature let out a horrible anguished wail. It leapt out of the darkness and toward the human. Dib aimed his gun and -!

"Mew!" The bright-eyed cat grabbed the human's leg and kicked it with his hind legs.

Dib stared at it in disbelief.

It was a cat. A regular cat. With yellow eyes and patches of black and white fur.

The human leaned down and the cat hesitated. He petted it, feeling slightly awkward. He really wasn't an animal person. The creature seemed pleased, however, letting out a soft purr.

"Damnit, Zim," he grumbled to himself. He scratched the cat's head as he pondered whether it would be any use to call Animal Control on an alien. Probably not.

Dib could hear the squeak of Zim's boots just before the Irken marched out of the darkness.

"You found it!" Zim exclaimed, pulling his weapon.

"Leave it," he grumbled, placing a hand in front of the creature protectively.

"What? You want to be destroyed by that horrible creature?"

"It's a cat," Dib rolled his eyes at the other.

"Eh?" Zim squinted in confusion.

"It's harmless."

Zim frowned and took a step forward. The cat hissed. Zim hissed back at it.

Dib sighed and carefully picked up the cat in his arms. "I'm taking it. Don't kidnap any more animals."

Zim glared at the cat for a long moment, then reluctantly nodded. "Very well. Now follow me to the exit and remove that filthy beast immediately."

"By the way, I heard you scream. What happened?"

Zim's face went pink in embarrassment. He turned his head away.

"Gir surprised me." He grumbled.

Dib laughed and Zim shot him a glare.

At the elevator, he stepped in, leaving Zim in the depths of the base. He popped out at the house level and made his way towards the door.

Gir was sitting in the living room, on a tiny stool facing the corner. Dib stopped, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

Gir turned to him with sad eyes. "Mastah says I have to sit here for five minutes for scaring him!"

Dib laughed. There was something bizarrely funny about an evil alien invader punishing his minion like a toddler.

"He told me your five minutes are up. You should go apologize to him."

The robot's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really. And make sure to be very quiet on your way, then loudly announce you're there so you don't scare him again."

"Eeee! Yes!" Gir jumped up and raced over to the elevator, disappearing below the house.

Dib adjusted his hold on the cat, who mewed softly in protest. Then he started his walk home, the cat tucked securely against his chest and a slight spring in his step.


	9. Present - Depths

PRESENT

He tried to slip through the building unnoticed, but Lisa found him and excitedly dragged him to the kitchen and dining hall. It was empty, as he'd slept long past the morning breakfast time, but the cheerful guard showed him where the food was stored and refused to leave until she'd seen him eat.

Two pieces of toast later, Lisa let him free, under the condition that he'd come sit with her and her friends at dinnertime.

He promised he would and made a hasty exit. He felt a tad guilty about lying to the friendly woman. He wouldn't be eating here tonight. After killing Zim, he'd have to slip out as fast as possible. He didn't know if these people here could see reason or if they were blindly following the alien, but wasn't going to take chances. He'd grab Gaz and go – with Zim dead, it would be easy for the world's governments to take control once again. Earth would be free once more.

Dib located the elevator he'd ridden the previous day and slipped inside. His phone, which he'd found safe in his coat pocket hanging in the bedroom closest, had been untouched. He hooked it up to the panel and broke the security code, instructing the elevator to take him down to the lowest level. He knew Zim well enough – the Irken's base of operations would be as deep down into the Earth as possible.

The elevator doors grumbled open and the human stepped out.

The lowest level was dark and slightly damp. The air was too still. The old basement level didn't hold a candle to the Invader's previous base. It was grubby and cracks were forming on the walls. The state of the place almost made Dib question his assumption, but in a moment he was proven right, as he peeked in a door and saw a room packed with bright alien machinery.

He entered and inspected the alien equipment. They thrummed with power, tubes leading upwards and into other rooms. Dib took them in quickly, scanning them over and theorizing their purposes. He couldn't spot any control panels or screens, so ultimately his conclusion was to leave and continue his search. It wouldn't be wise to try sabotaging any of Zim's contraptions without first determining their function.

Moving on, he continued down the basement corridors, pulling open heavy metal doors and peering inside rooms. There was more machinery, interspersed between mundane human boiler rooms and storage.

One had a large screen and a familiar alien chair. Dib relaxed into the oddly-shaped seat as best he could. Zim wouldn't be back for several more hours, he estimated. He could take a look into his system while he waited.

He hacked in and started looking around. His knowledge of the Irken language was poor, but he read over a few files and was able to get the gist of things. There were plans for infrastructure improvements around the world, plans developing a space program that united scientists from every country, notes on climate change data.

He wasn't sure why Zim would be doing such things, but he was certain it was all part of the Irken's evil plan.

When the neon words started to send aches of pain into his eyes, he found Zim's internal storage for the building's camera systems.

Dib checked his watch, he still had a couple hours until the Irken would be back. There was time to look at a few videos before assembling a weapon and finding a perfect spot to ambush the traitor.

He tabbed through old footage, starting a few months ago. Starting around the time of the incident.

He stopped at a scene of Gaz and Zim and the tube he'd woken up in yesterday. He could only make out a dark shape in the tube. He hit play.

 _Gaz was sitting at the table, Game Slave in hand. But as he watched, he noticed something unusual. She kept glancing up from her game, at the tube. He watched for several minutes, and she kept the pattern up._

 _Zim altered between sitting on the ground, leaning his frame against the glass tube, and standing up to check the data on the attached screen._

Dib sped up the video. His sister and the alien stayed like this for hours.

Dib switched to other cameras, flicking through the different areas over time.

He watched the guards. At first there were none – then slowly people would arrive and not long after he'd see them in their uniform. Then there'd be drills and studies and work. And there'd be gatherings in the cafeteria… humans of various races, sexes and ages sitting at the long tables, talking and laughing. There'd be hugs and playful punches, and occasionally a stolen kiss in an otherwise empty hall.

What was with these people? Why did traitors to Earth look so happy?

Dib scrolled to the more recent files, finding a thumbnail that caught his eye.

It was Zim and Lisa, leaning against a hallway wall. Lisa was in her uniform, except for her helmet, which was tucked under her arm.

" _He might not," Lisa said in a gentle tone. "People can be surprising."_

" _No," Zim replied flatly. "He will definitely hate me."_

" _Well… he's pretty smart, isn't he?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Then maybe he can be convinced." She smiled at the Irken who looked at her in confusion._

" _He won't listen to me." Zim frowned._

" _Then I'll try. And so will Sophia and Nikki and the rest."_

 _Zim looked skeptical. He eyed the human for a moment before replying. "Very well. And keep an eye on him too."_

 _Lisa grinned and gave a salute. "Yessir, Leader of Earth!"_

 _Zim squinted at her. "Aren't you supposed to be patrolling Hall J?"_

" _Oh! Hehe," she flashed an impish grin and pushed off from the wall. "Well that was a nice chat! Let me know when Sleeping Beauty wakes up!" She donned her helmet and rushed off._

So that explained the guard's friendliness. For a brief moment it felt like he might have made a friend.

"I should know better by now," he grumbled to himself.

"Dib."

The human closed his eyes, ignoring the video.

"Dib."

He opened his eyes. Zim wasn't on the screen. He twisted his body around to look behind him.

Zim was there. His eyes wide and curious as he met the human's.

Dib scrambled out his seat, mentally scolding himself for wasting so much time. The plan was to sneak up on the alien, not be caught by surprise by him!

Zim squared his shoulders, but he didn't look like he was going to attack. He looked up the human, his expression serious, but there was some softness in his magenta eyes.

"Zim wants to explain," he said.

The human narrowed his eyes. His heart twisted as he remembered the betrayal. He remembered the lovesick way he used to stare into those otherworldly eyes. He remembered how stupid he'd been to fall for the alien's tricks.

"Give it a rest. Do you really think you can trick me again? After all this? Then you're even dumber than I thought," Dib hissed.

Zim's eye twitched, but he kept his composure. "I think you would be able to see, Dib-human, that this world needed my intervention."

"Intervention?" Dib barked a short laugh. "Is that the best excuse you could think of? Taking over a planet, killing your detractors? That's just you helping Earth because you're so good and kind? Ha!"

"It's better now with Zim in charge!"

"No." Dib's voice lowered, loathing in every word. "Nothing is better with you around, Zim. That's why your Tallests banished you. You fail at everything you try. You're a disaster." He felt a small thrum of satisfaction as he watched the Irken grit his teeth together.

"Take that back, human," the alien said in a quiet voice.

"That touched a nerve, didn't it?" His mouth quirked into a cruel grin and he took a step forward. "Short, defective Zim. So incompetent a child could stop your plans."

Zim's eyes were burning with rage, his fists clenched tightly.

Dib took another step forward, his heart thumping as anger coursed through him. "I've spent almost half my life fighting you, my life revolving around you, and I'm done. _You're_ done."

The human's arms shot out and his hands wrapped around the Irken's neck, squeezing as hard as he could. In a moment, Zim's claws were embedded into his forearms, dragging through flesh.

Dib ripped his arms away, bright blood dripping and kneed the Irken in the gut.

As Zim struggled to take a breath, the human shoved him to the ground, planting his knee on the Irken's stomach and grabbing his hands, shoving them against the floor and capturing both skinny arms in one large hand. Dib's free hand moved to the alien's neck again.

Razor-sharp pak legs burst out, four blades audibly slicing the air and stopped, the edges almost-but-not-quite piercing the human's flesh. One blade rested against each side of his temples, the other two rested against his neck.

Dib froze, his grip going slack. Zim sucked painful gulps of air, his thin chest rapidly rising and falling but the blades staying perfectly still.

It would only take a thought, a fraction of a second, for those blades to slice through him.

He'd lost.

His anger and bruised ego had made him too rash. Of course Zim would have the upper hand with his pak. Why had he rushed into this without a proper plan?

The blades remained still. Was the Irken toying with him?

Zim was still struggling to catch his breath and his eyes were rimmed with moisture. He blinked and a few tears slid down his face and onto the floor.

Dib felt his gut clench painfully. He hated that he was reacting this way. Hated that he couldn't stop how his heart ached at the sight.

He jumped slightly when the bored voice of Computer broke the silence.

"An Irken ship has entered the planet's atmosphere. It is on course to our current location."

"What?" He looked down at the Irken, but Zim seemed just as surprised as he was. "Who's coming?" He demanded.

"I don't know!" Zim's voice was raspy. He pulled back his pak legs and tugged his arms out of Dib's grasp. "We need to go meet them. They're probably hostile, everyone here is in danger."

He allowed Zim to pull away, but he was far from convinced.

Zim brushed away the tears staining his cheeks. "There's a landing pad on the roof. We should hurry." He looked off to the side as he spoke, not making eye contact with the human.

The alien shakily rose to his feet, his breathing still pained.

They walked through the hallways and boarded the elevator in uncomfortable silence. Dib kept his eyes on the Irken the entire time, half-expecting Zim to turn around any moment and blast him into pieces.

They exited on the top floor and climbed a metal ladder to the roof.

A cool autumn wind blew over them, the evening sun providing just enough warmth to stop them from being chilled.

A dark shape was just visible in the distant sky. As seconds passed, it became bigger.

The ship was much sleeker than Zim's voot. It had a round window at the front and its metal exterior curved around above and below. It reminded Dib of an animal that curled into a ball for protection, like a pangolin.

It only took a minute from first sighting to hovering above the helipad. The ship landed smoothly and Dib held his breath as he waited for the occupant to show themselves.

The pink windshield slowly raised, and an Irken stepped out.

"Uh, hi!" The chubby Irken offered a nervous smile.

"SKOODGE?!" Zim screeched. "What are you doing here?"


End file.
